Bolivia's traditional parties may lose in mayoral elections

[Minstrel Boy]

A lousy understated headline. The traditional parties are expected to win no more than 10% of the total vote, down from 60% in 2002. And the real story is the rise of the anti-globalist alternative.

Bolivia's traditional parties may lose in mayoral elections

Sun, Dec. 05, 2004

LA PAZ, Bolivia - Bolivians were expected to overwhelmingly reject their traditional political parties in electing 324 mayors Sunday, with the Movement Toward Socialism, led by an implacable foe of globalization and of the United States, expected to emerge as the country's biggest political party.

...

Morales became a political heavyweight when he surprised analysts by winning 21 percent of the vote in the 2002 presidential election, only two points behind Sanchez de Lozada, who then won the presidency through a vote by Congress.

Morales became a foe of the United States for vigorously defending coca farmers in the Chapare region in central Bolivia.

Morales has allied himself with Cuba's Fidel Castro and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, but he has also shown a pragmatic side by helping prop up the Mesa government, even as the traditional political parties hope Mesa will be forced to resign and call early elections.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/world/10346935.htm

[ret5hd]

1. first heard of morales on NarcoNews.com...

what a brave man.

[bin.dare]

2. this is in spanish but ...

the pictures show us the true face of the "new american century".

http://www.aymaranet.org/EvoMorales2.html

[bemildred]

3. Bolivia Takes On Goliath Of Globalization

They sent a water-privatizing multinational packing, and chased an ultra-neoliberal president all the way to Miami. Now they have come head-to-head with the ultimate goliath of globalization. The people of Bolivia — stalwarts on the front lines of anti-globalization — are trying to wrest control of the country's oil and gas reserves from the big boys of fossil fuel.

But as Oscar Olivera — one of the most recognizable figures of the Bolivian movement — tells it, the struggle is not so much against corporations or politicians as it is for public control of decisions affecting everyday life. “People can change things,” says Olivera. And a seemingly unstoppable public momentum is building around this simple realization.

This momentum got a huge boost in 2000 when the people of Olivera's hometown of Cochabamba de-privatized their water system to world-wide anti-globalization acclaim. As the aftermath of the 2000 “Water War” plays out on the streets of Cochabamba and the board rooms of Bechtel Corporation, the people of Bolivia are slowly and surely molding a new, less corporatized country.

(also in F/A)

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=52&ItemID=6802

[aneerkoinos]

4. Democracy

"the struggle is not so much against corporations or politicians as it is for public control of decisions affecting everyday life."

What a beautifull thing! To be FOR something, not just against, something that the ABB attitude cannot realize.

Liberal representative "democracy" is sooooo last millenium. Let the LA show the way to the peoples of the world!

Subcomandante Marcos and your pupils, I salute you and those you serve!
(and that is the most militaristic thing I will ever do!)

[daleo]

5. It seems like South America is slipping out of the neo-cons grip

While the cat's away...

[imenja]

6. neo-cons aren't greatly concerned with Latin America

US hold in the regions stemmed from it's Cold War policy. Now that the Cold War is over, it's losing interest--except of course for Colombia, but only because of cocaine.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[imenja]

8. please enlighten me then

[bemildred]

9. Bolivia moves to “centre left” in municipal elections

Bolivia’s civic and Indian organizations participating for the first time in municipal elections, following a recent constitutional amendment were the big winners in last weekend’s voting.

These new organizations in the political scene won contests in five of the nine provincial capitals, while traditional parties only managed the other four, indicating a “slight turn to the centre left” of the Bolivian political scenario.

President Carlos Mesa - who, as an independent, had no candidate inclination for any of Sunday's races - highlighted the leading role civic and Indian organizations will play in the future, especially in the constitutional assembly scheduled for next year.
"To the extent they can consolidate, they could become venues for the discussion and strengthening of regional power on the path towards some form of autonomy" said Mr. Mesa in direct reference to strong pressures for greater self rule in several provinces and mainly from the Indian population.

Political analyst Jorge Lazarte focused on another important aspect of Sunday's elections: the rise of the Movement Towards Socialism, (MAS), headed by Indian coca-growers' leader Evo Morales, in contrast to the decline of all the other elected parties with representation in Congress.

MercoPress